Chase didn’t know if he believed that. He looked to Rock. Their solid and steady friend didn’t give anything away. His expression was neutral, his eyes guarded.
“We all love you, Brandon,” Nelson said. “But we also know you too well. You wouldn’t set this all up without a twist or some level of drama.”
“I’m glad you asked.” Brandon’s eyes twinkled. “But it’s not a level of drama on my end.”
“That’d be a first,” Emmett teased.
Shrugging easily, Brandon actually looked serious for once. “There’s something else I need to tell each of you about your two-week vacation and the women you’ll be paired with …” He leaned forward again and gestured to Robbie’s seat.
Robbie didn’t move.
“Come on, Rob,” Parker said. “A beautiful woman and Europe. It’s go time!”
Emmett and Brandon both smiled. Nobody else did.
“Let’s hear him out,” Nelson said, reasonable and level-headed as usual.
Robbie harrumphed but sank into the cushioned chair, staying back away from the table, an obvious indicator he wasn’t all in but wouldn’t leave the conversation completely. That was probably only because Brandon was dying. The dying card was a good angle to play. It would persuade most of them to bow to Brandon’s off-the-wall final wishes.
Brandon steepled his fingers. His eyes slowly perused the room, locking with each man for a moment before moving on. There was a seriousness in that blue gaze that was rare for the philandering billionaire. “Each of the women we’ve selected …” Brandon drew it out.
Chase shifted, uncomfortable in his seat. Two weeks in Europe and a million dollars both sounded great. Getting set up on a two-week blind date and hoping that woman fell in love with him? Not so much.
“Spit out the bubble gum,” Nelson muttered.
Brandon nodded to him. “Each woman is in imminent danger and needs a place to escape with a man who can protect?—”
“Alice is in danger?” Robbie roared, rising halfway out of his seat again. He ripped his phone out. “I’m calling Aiden. We’ll keep her safe. Where is she now?”
“Robbie, Robbie.” Brandon held both hands up. “Friend. You need to take it down a notch.” He looked to Chase. “Is he always like this? I recall the intensity, but not to this level.”
Chase shook his head, amazed at Robbie’s intensity as well. He’d been single-minded and resolute when they were on a mission, but for the most part he was a friendly, laid-back guy. Obviously his feelings for Alice were still over the top.
“That is wonderful to hear,” Brandon said even though Chase had done nothing more than shake his head. “So the colossal Robbie Perrine does still love the saintly Alice Marshall. Get her to proclaim her everlasting love for you and I’ll gift you a million dollars.”
Robbie’s blue eyes reminded Chase of the ‘thunder’ in Thor’s eyes inThor: Ragnarok. Somebody was going to get thumped, and soon. “Love has nothing to do with this, and you can take your million dollars and shove it.” Robbie glowered even more deeply. “Tell me where she is and what kind of danger she’s in. Now!”
Brandon didn’t look afraid. Though he should.
“I’ve got men I trust who will escort each of the women to the various European locations,” Rock said, drawing everyone’s attention. “My hand-picked teams will provide security at the rental homes and watch over you and your ladies when you travel for day excursions.”
The tension at the table settled, and even Robbie looked somewhat mollified.
“You’re in on this too?” Emmett asked.
“Of course.” Rock gave a rare half-smile. “Madelyne and I had to deal with the logistics of another of his crazy ideas.”
Crazy idea indeed, and how close were Madelyne and Rock? Chase found that very intriguing.
“What kind of danger is Alice in?” Robbie asked again, this time focusing on Rock.
“Each of you will be given all the information on your location, a schedule of your day trips, and the particulars and severity of danger each of the ladies is experiencing as you travel to your location,” Brandon answered. “You’ll have a first-class suite to yourself, but I apologize that all of my jets are being used by your lovely ladies.”
“We’ll survive … somehow,” Parker joked.
“How soon do we leave?” Robbie demanded, visibly anxious to go protect Alice. Chase’s own gut was churning, wondering if this was a good idea. Robbie was committed because of Alice and their past relationship. Chase wasn’t certain he wanted to spend two weeks with some unknown lady. He pushed that aside, wishing he could chat with Robbie about Alice. If Chase’s calculations were correct, it had been over fifteen years since he’d last seen Alice. Did he still have feelings for her?
“You’re all in?” Brandon asked, looking immensely pleased with himself.
